Your questions answered!

Paul Blotske is one of three Regional Managers who help make H.O.G.^® membership a fun and rewarding experience.

Hundreds of thousands of H.O.G. members in America are in the capable hands of three Regional Managers—Bruce Motta, Chris Harrison, and Paul Blotske. Paul’s area of responsibility covers a swathe of the U.S. from Minnesota and North Dakota in the Midwest down to Mississippi in the south, encompassing Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama.

A major part of his role involves chapter management and dealer relations, as well as helping with local and national events, managing H.O.G. programs such as Ride 365^®, and the seven training sessions of Regional Officer Connection (ROC) across the country.

Each Regional Manager is responsible for around 200 chapters, getting to know members is key to keeping things manageable. This is where having established contacts becomes especially important.

“Because H.O.G. is a volunteer-led organization, you have to handle many different situations and meet a lot of passionate people,” says Paul. “There isn’t really a typical day for a Regional Manager, but it’s likely to start early in the morning, responding to inquiries from chapter officers, dealers, and H.O.G. members, then working on the regional and national rallies, and the ROC program.”

Many of the inquiries Paul handles are related to H.O.G. benefits and programs, and most can be resolved quickly over the phone or via email.

“Because many programs have changed over the past few years, we still get asked how they work or how other benefits have changed. For instance, the ABCs of Touring has been replaced by challenges with wider appeal, such as Ride 365.

“Likewise, in the digital era, The Enthusiast^® magazine is now printed once a year, and instead we have more online content—we still get a few queries about that from older members. Similarly, the H.O.G. Touring Handbook has been moved online, and we don’t have the old physical atlas anymore as it was hugely expensive to produce and distribute. So, many of the questions are because information hasn’t been passed from one chapter officer to another.”

As you can imagine, covering such a large area involves a fair amount of travel, by motorcycle whenever possible, and Paul estimates that he’ll typically ride 20,000 miles a year on H.O.G. business.

“From late January to March, we travel to and from the weekend ROC sessions,” says Paul. “Then it’s on to the big open national rallies like Daytona Beach Bike Week, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and smaller regional gatherings.”

Tasks at these events typically involve working on H.O.G. member check-in, dealing with member issues and inquiries, and organizing rides.

However, this has become second nature for Paul, because like Bruce and Chris, he was involved with H.O.G. in various voluntary roles before working for Harley-Davidson full-time.

“Like so many riders, I first got drawn into motorcycle culture as a child, riding on my dad’s bike and then jumping on friends’ bikes,” says Paul. “The passion for Harley-Davidson started when my sister rode to a family gathering on her Sportster^®, and I thought to myself, ‘Why aren’t I riding a Harley^®?’ It wasn’t long before I had my own Sportster, followed by an Electra Glide^®.

He joined Wolverine H.O.G. Chapter, sponsored by Wolverine Harley-Davidson in Clinton Township, Michigan, and held various officer positions, culminating in Chapter Director. “In 2009, I became a rider training instructor and then a Riding Academy Manager when the Motor Company set up the program in 2013. Soon after that I joined Harley-Davidson as an events coordinator, then an events project manager, and finally Regional Manager in 2020.”

His role can be demanding, not least because H.O.G. activities are usually held in the evening, at weekends, and on holidays, but Paul wouldn’t have it any other way. “Working unsociable hours doesn’t matter to me because the job is so rewarding in other ways,” he says. “People are grateful to have their questions answered and issues resolved, and the chapters are always glad to see a representative of H.O.G. and Harley-Davidson, so it’s demanding but very satisfying.”

Words by Jeremy Pick

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